This is a crazy film. Trying to understand the plot of this film is like fastforwarding a film and trying to make out the story from it. After a while I just tried to focus on the special effects and martial art instead, but even that became hard to follow during the rapid editing and many dark settings - there is lots of fights during bright daylight as well, but it still didn't make things easier for me, it would be like describing a color to a blind person.
To me, the film felt more like a showcase of what kind of effects could be thrown in, just try it all and put it into this film, no matter if it makes any sense for the film or not. It's a fantasy with lots of lightnings, fire, beams, sparks and what have you shooting out from hands and then a giggling fish too, which kind of just made my brain melt a bit in my head. When you watch a CGI-heavy film today, you can easily lose focus and interest in the characters because you realize how much is not actual real in the film, it was the same here, after a while I didn't care who was who or what they did and if they would succeed. The synopsis says that they're trying to save the universe, but I didn't really get the feeling that it was something that big going on during this film.
I also couldn't help thinking of other films that reminded me of this film, like Krull, The Dark Crystal and The Neverending Story - all of those films having a nostalgic value to many people, and I can see how Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain would be the same - I would probably have loved this film as a child, I would've understood less, but what's not cool about magic sword fights and crazy wireworks with silky robes all over the screen? Like those other films I mentioned, this film is also a story about a journey, but it doesn't have the payoff that it needs to become a true classic like the other epic films, right now it will just be a Chinese Krull to me.
I'm afraid the filmmakers behind this film had too many things they wanted to do with one film and ended up pressing all of it into it - instead of just focusing on a linear story with less characters and a clear goal. It was nice to see an early Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung is always fun, Brigitte Lin was really attractive and I would've love to see more between her and Adam Cheng's character, instead of the ending we got, that just felt awkward and disappointing. This film also have one of the worst freeze frame ending cuts - I don't think anyone can argue about that.
To me, the film felt more like a showcase of what kind of effects could be thrown in, just try it all and put it into this film, no matter if it makes any sense for the film or not. It's a fantasy with lots of lightnings, fire, beams, sparks and what have you shooting out from hands and then a giggling fish too, which kind of just made my brain melt a bit in my head. When you watch a CGI-heavy film today, you can easily lose focus and interest in the characters because you realize how much is not actual real in the film, it was the same here, after a while I didn't care who was who or what they did and if they would succeed. The synopsis says that they're trying to save the universe, but I didn't really get the feeling that it was something that big going on during this film.
I also couldn't help thinking of other films that reminded me of this film, like Krull, The Dark Crystal and The Neverending Story - all of those films having a nostalgic value to many people, and I can see how Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain would be the same - I would probably have loved this film as a child, I would've understood less, but what's not cool about magic sword fights and crazy wireworks with silky robes all over the screen? Like those other films I mentioned, this film is also a story about a journey, but it doesn't have the payoff that it needs to become a true classic like the other epic films, right now it will just be a Chinese Krull to me.
I'm afraid the filmmakers behind this film had too many things they wanted to do with one film and ended up pressing all of it into it - instead of just focusing on a linear story with less characters and a clear goal. It was nice to see an early Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung is always fun, Brigitte Lin was really attractive and I would've love to see more between her and Adam Cheng's character, instead of the ending we got, that just felt awkward and disappointing. This film also have one of the worst freeze frame ending cuts - I don't think anyone can argue about that.